Boiler-tube cleaner



8.1. HERMAN AND C. M. MACKENZIE.

BOILER TUBE CLEANER.

APPucnmN HLED APR. 12. 1916. 1,337,557. Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

ooooooo' aww/wtoas Sana/e2 v- Werma) attmags S. J. HERMAN AND C. M. MAcKENZIE.

BOILER TUBE CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I2. 1916.

Patented Apr. 20,1920.

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15am ye) J #erman Mm/W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BAIIUEL J. HERMAN AND CHESTER I. MACKENZIE, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN,

ASSIGNOBB TO DIAMOND POWER SPECIALTY COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHI- GAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

BOILER-TUBE CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 12, 1916. Serial No. 90,550.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we SAMUEL J. HERMAN and CHESTER M. MACKENZIE, both citizens of the United States of America, residin at Detroit, in the county of We ne an State of Michi an, have invente certain new and useful Im rovements in Boiler- Tube Cleaners, of w ich the following 1s a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to boiler tube cleaners of the blower type and refers more particularly to a construction adapted for use in cleaning boilers where the tubes are partitioned off into a plurality of compartments.

In certain boilers of this general type. the rows of tubes in one of the compartments, such as the center one, extend below the plane of the other compartments, and the present invention has among its objects to provide an improved and simplified cleaner arrangement-for boilers of this class.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a construction in which the blower tubes are so arranged that the lower portion of the center section is taken care of by a stationary, or other independent arrange ment of the nozzles; to provide means for allowing portions of the center section which are in horizontal alinement with the tubes of the side sections to be simultaneously cleaned therewith; to provide a. construction in which the tubes of the side sections and a corresponding portion of the center section can be cleaned by a series of reciprocating pipes adapted to successively register with the rows of tubes in such compartments; to provide means for automatically adjusting the blowers for one of the sections a lesser distance than the blowers for one of the other sections; to utilize a lost motion arrangement or pick up device for automatically adjusting the blower pipe of the center section a lesser distance than the blower pipes of the end sections, where the same operating mechanism is employed for adjusting both sets of blower pipes, and in general to provide a new and improved construction of boiler tube cleaners of the character above referred to. The invention further resides in various features of construction and such arrangements and combinations of parts as will more fully here-' inafter ap ear.

In the rawings:

Figure lie a diagrammatic elevational view showing our invention applied to a three furnace boiler.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the upper blower taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the outer case not being shown in section and various parts being omitted for the sake of clearness.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line mw of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a slightly modified construction.

In tube boilers such as Scotch marine boilers of the three furnace type, where the center compartment or bank of tubes is of different depth than the end compartments or banks, it is desirable to so arrange the blower pipes for at least a portion of the center bank, that they can be operated by the same actuating mechanism as the blowers for the end banks. In the construction shown in the drawings a longitudinally reciprocating header extending into the different compartments is employed for carrying the blower pipes of the end banks of tubes. However owing to the difference in width as well as in depth of the center bank it is often impracticable to carry the blower pipes for the center section on this header.

The present invention therefore contemplates a simple and novel construction in which at least a portion of the blower pipes for the center section are mounted inde pendent of the header. Describing first in detail the construction shown in the drawings 1, 2 and 3, A designates the boiler which has a plurality of vertical rows B of boiler tubes, these rows of tubes being separated into end banks C and D and a center bank E by compartment walls F and G. At the upper end of the banks of boiler tubes there is arranged a longitudinally movable header H which extends through the compartment walls F and G and at the outside of the boiler is actuated by a hand wheel I through a suitable rack I and pinion 1?. Movable with this header is a plurality of blower pipes L and L for cleaning the vertical rows of tubes B in each of the end banks 0 and D, the header and blower pi es together with the blower pipes U for t e airtubes being [supported on wheels M running on tracks 2 and provided with suitable truss rods M as shown in Fig. 2, portions of the header H being ofi'set above the plane of the tracks M, as indicated at H and H.

It will be noticed that the center section or compartment E has its vertically arranged rows of tubes extending below the lane of the end compartments. For takmg care of those tubes which are below the plane of the end compartments, in th1s construction we employ a separate blower unit N. This blower unit has a plurality of vertically extending nozzles N each of which has jets N registering with the ends of the boiler tubes as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. In order that this unit may not be subjected to the heat when not in use, We employ means for quickl detaching it at N from the supply pipe The up er portion of the center bank E, that is, t e tubes of the center bank which lie in the same planes as the tubes of the end banks are taken care of by a separate depending blower unit 0 which is connected to be actuated by the sliding rods 0 and Steam is supplied from the supply pipes W and \V to the unit 0 and the header H respectively by extension pipe devices Y and Y each of which has swiveled joints Z adapted to maintain a tight steam connection irrespective of the relative position of the header H and unit 0.

While in the construction shown in both Figs. 1 and 4, the blower unit 0 for the center compartment E is independent of the main header H, it is. operated by adjustment of this main header H in the followin manner: Connected to the unit 0 is a pair of rods 0 and 0 extending through the compartment walls F and G into the end compartments C and D. When the parts are in the normal position the rods project into the compartment a distance substantially equal to the amount of travel necessary to aline the blower pipe 0 of the center unit 0 with each of the rows of tubes in the center compartments. This leaves the ends of the rods 0' and O s aced from the unit P a distance equal to ,thus providing a lost motion arrangement for the center unit so that the latter remains stauntil the end unit P has traveled tionarg the right, a distance equal to X,

towar after which the center unit is simultaneously moved toward the ri ht with the units P and P carried b t e main header. Upon reversal of the irection of travel of the main header H toward the left there will be corresponding movement of the unit P before it strikes against the ends of the operating rods 0' and O and returns the center unit 0 to the position shown in the drawings, thus allowing one operating mechanism to govern the cleanin of banks of tubes in compartments 0 different widths. In orderto prevent the upper row of boiler tubes from being covered u by the blower mechanism, the ortion o the header near the supporting w eels are offset upwardly as shown in Figs. 1 and-4.

Inthe modified construction shown in Fig. 4, the separate blower unit N is not employed, the blower pipe L of the unit 0 being extended down the full depth of the center bank of boiler tubes. In both cases however, the lost motion arrangement or pick-up device is employed, and the blower as a whole is very effective irrespective of the difference in depth or width of the various banks of boiler tubes.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. The combination with vertically ar ranged rows of boiler tubes, plates divid ing said tubes into a plurality of compartments of unequal size, blower pipes for cleaning the tubes of said compartments and means for alining said blower pipes with the rows of boiler tubes, said means comprising mechanism ada ted to move the blower pipes in one of t e compartments a predetermined amount before causing any movement of the blower pipes in one of the other compartments to thus compensate for the difference in the size of the compartments.

2. The combination with the pluralit of rows of boiler tubes, blower mem ers ada ted to be moved into alinement with said rows of tubes for cleaning such tubes and a common means for moving said blower members said means including mechanism for imparting an initial movement to one of said blower members before imparting movement to another of said blower members.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

SAMUEL J. HERMAN. 'OHESTER M. MAGKENZIE. 

